The purpose of this invention is to provide consumers with a greatly enhanced water treatment bottle capable of both rendering the water free of common contaminants while enhancing health giving properties through enhanced alkalinity as well as reduction in the oxidation and reduction potential. In so doing several natural minerals are introduced to the water including calcium, magnesium, and potassium. In so doing the product of this invention competes favorably in performance with the countertop electrolytic cell “ionizers” which are marketed in the $3,000 range. A secondary goal of the subject invention is to provide a versatile basic product adaptable to other secondary medias to meet specific needs as will be discussed within the body of this document. Also, to provide a basic carbon based filter which retains sufficient treated water to have the first drink instantly available without the necessity of evacuating the filter of air and drawing the water through.
To successfully accommodate a secondary media it is frequently necessary to alter the water flow characteristics. In other words while the influent water may simply pass through the carbon filter walls using radial and axial flow, sufficient contact time may not be attained if immediately passed through a second media providing the same residence time. Thus, a redirection of flow of the initially treated water may be required prior to contact with the second water treatment media in order to provide an axial flow through a longer column of media enhancing contact time. This frequently is desirable when using a granular media, as well as when constituents such as minerals are being added to the water.
It should also be noted that to be successful the water filter product must be user friendly which dictates a design with low pressure drop, an easy and free flow of treated water without effort on the part of the user. In addition the ability to remove the major contaminants including chlorine, and lead as a heavy metal, are deemed essential. The product design herein presented which is now entering production accomplishes the above including the integration of two media and enhanced flow and residence time through the use of all external surfaces of the external monolithic carbon composite filter, sides and base, thus providing dual flow both radially through the side walls as well as axially through the outer filter base. To achieve performance the carbon composite block has a porosity retained primarily between 20 and 30 microns and contains a polyester binder and 30%-60% activated carbon and 15%-25% zeolite for heavy metal removal. Flow rate is preferably at 10 psi under a pressure of 1-2 psi when placed into service. The performance characteristics are improved by means of making all external filter surfaces available to perform the filtration function.
The available portable filtration products in the past have either been carbon block filters with a rather narrow hollow central core, the base of which is either blocked by a plate containing a relief valve extending through the base, or simply closed off at the base, designed only for the radial flow of water through the sides of the filter. Conversely, granular activated carbon filters have been used but are adaptable only to use in an axial flow configuration. In the case of radial flow designed filters; the length of the filter is maximized for radial surface area. The hollow center core is generally narrow, and a relatively small exit port is provided, generally of about ¼ inch, or less, and acts as a flow restrictor. By increasing the overall diameter of the filter, making the base of the filter available for filtration, it is practical to shorten the filters length without reducing performance by making all external surfaces of the filter designed and available for filtration. Flow is enhanced as a reservoir is created within the large open filter center, and minimal resistance to flow can be created by providing unrestricted access to a larger water exit port. By encapsulating the filter within a closed housing, open for water access only at the top, in a bottle top mounted filter, water can be directed to all external surfaces regardless of the amount of water remaining in the bottle until practically empty. Typically, a space for water flow between 0.040″ and 0.100″ is preferred between the housing side walls as well as the housing base and the contained external carbon composite filter surfaces. This spacing is preferred for the water flow channels to eliminate much of the boundary layer attraction which impedes flow and increases pressure requirements
Filters of this type encapsulated within a housing with water access ports near the top of the filter also minimize the water remaining in the bottle, not available for removal by the filter. Hence, even when the design is adapted to a single treatment media, such as a monolithic carbon composite carbon block, flow and contaminant reduction is enhanced with reduced back pressure by a filter utilizing both axial and radial flow characteristics, combined with an outer housing which directs the water to all external filter surfaces. The housing is designed to also permit the maximum amount of water to be removed efficiently from the bottle without the intrusion of air. This is accomplished by retaining water within the filter void within the housing at the conclusion of each average drinking cycle.
This type of filter, preferably encapsulated within an outer housing, is mechanically and cooperatively connected to the bottle top forming a single assembly with the top and the bottle. The filter may also be designed to attach to the top of the bottle neck by means of a supporting flange and secured in place by the bottle top with which it operates cooperatively. For maximum convenience and efficiency the filter is mechanically fastened to the valved bottle top eliminating the need to handle the filter and bottle top separately when the bottle is opened and refilled. The third option is to place an open base filter on a tube or straw suspended to the base of the bottle permitting drinking without the need to invert the bottle. All of these alternative designs have been described in the drawings.
There are two basic concepts with several options flowing from each. The first is a carbon composite filter with an exposed base the outer surface of which is totally exposed to the inner wall areas of the housing and base. The filter is contained within the housing with water entry ports positioned near the top of the filter so that even with little water contained within the bottle covering less than ⅓rd of the filter, the entire housing is filled with water and the base of the carbon filter still functions as a filtration medium. This is accomplished by containing the filter entirely within the outer housing, The drawings show and describe the product in an easily understood graphic depiction.
By offsetting the filter from the sides and bottom of the housing by 0.40″-0.10″ to provide an unobstructed and free flowing water passage to all vertical and lateral filter surfaces all functions are markedly improved. The base of the filter is offset from the base of the housing in a manner that permits the water to flow within the housing along the sides to the base with equal pressure to penetrate the base as well as the side walls. Thus, we have created a Dual or Universal Flow Filter.
To further enhance this invention, the housing containing the filter becomes a leak proof cup, with water access openings only at the top, which retains the water within the filter and housing after the first use when the filter housing is attached to the bottle top. Alternately, if an encapsulating housing is not employed the filter may be coated on the interior with highly porous Teflon or similar coating possessing a negative angle of wetting which the water does not penetrate flowing back into the bottle when static, under the force of gravity alone. This is highly advantageous as it leaves a large reservoir of water to flow out unimpeded to the user on demand. The coating does not impede the flow of water across the filter into the filter's center under normal operating pressure of 1-2 psig. This is particularly useful if the filter is positioned on a tube (“straw”) at the base of the bottle, with the housing base and water intake open at the bottom rather than the top. The Teflon coating is also beneficial if the bottle is to be laid on its side, precluding water from seeping out into the housing and then into the bottle through the water inlet ports.
Another major advantage of the increased filter diameter is the center void which may also be used to add a second media. This may be done either by simply placing the second media within the hollow filter center and adding a retaining screen, or by incorporating a center tube attached to the top of the filter housing extending to the inner base of the carbon filter with a water access opening. At the base of the center tube openings, screened if required, permit the entry of the initially treated water into the base of the center tube for axial flow through the length of the media retained within the center tube. A screen is positioned between the exit end of the inner tube and bottle top exit valve to retain the second media.
The filter housing is preferably threaded into a mating receptacle in the cap. This permits a much larger diameter opening than is commonly found, and also a means to permit the water to flow freely without mechanical constriction through the water delivery orifice, the valve. In one top design a rigid plastic tube of some 5/16th to ½″ is used, and closed off by any one of a variety of means including a rotating ball valve. As a result of the relatively large open center within the dual flow filter, this carbon composite element may also be used to house impregnated porous plastic beads or cylindrical elements to elute a flavor to the water passing through. A variety of secondary medias may also be incorporated for the purpose of VOC removal, Arsenic removal, Nitrate removal, or to add minerals to the water. When a defined period of contact is required, such as when alkalizing and mineralizing the water, it is desirable to use the center tube design within the dual flow filter providing only an axial flow over the entire secondary media bed contained within the center tube. When the center tube is employed, preferably a component of the housing top a 0.04″-0.10″ space between the inner walls of the external filter and external wall of the inner tube are preferred to enhance water flow to the entry or transfer point at the base of the inner tube. When the required flow rate, typically 10 ml/sec together with the performance or results required specify an extended residence time of the water in contact with the media then the diameter and length of the inner center tube become a dominant factor in the design criteria. As an example an inner tube of 0.73 in diameter and 2.4 in length is used to hold 8 grams of ceramic alkalizing media in an available volume of 4.2 cubic inches. With the media thusly sized and contained water is alkalized from a pH of 7 to a pH of 9.5 while reducing the ORP (oxidation reduction potential) by ˜400 points at a flow rate of 10 ml/sec; the design flow rate. The health benefits of consuming alkaline water are well documented in the literature.
Due to the construction and water flow it can also be desirable for those seeking the greatest bio availability of water for hydration to incorporate magnets arranged on opposite sides of the carbon element, preferable using four opposed magnets; with two having South facing South polarity, and the second set with North facing North polarity for the purpose of de-clustering the filtered water. Optimum results are obtained by employing four neodymium N45 magnets with a ˜4300 gauss rating, as a slightly less effective alternative; N35 magnets with a gauss rating of ˜3800 can be used.
One additional technology may be gainfully combined with the afore described dual aspect filter. Charged Layered Membrane technology (CLM) employing a ˜50 mV positive electric charge potential to attract and retain negatively charged particulate matter and biological contaminants. The charge potential is created by bonding nano glass fibers to micro glass fibers contained within a cellulosic bed 0.8-1.2 mm thick including top and bottom layers of fine highly porous polyester scrim. The void volume of the CLM sheet is from 70-90 percent with the pore size from 1 micron, preferred, to ˜2 microns. The charge spans the normal 1-2 micron pore effectively capturing the negatively charged contaminants and dipoles. Media of this nature is commercially available from the Ahlstrom Corporation under the trade name Disrupter®. This media is available with fine activated carbon as a component ˜34% by weight, with other water treatment compounds, or as a product without additional additives as used in the application covered by the attendant drawing.